Vacancy, Cataloguer, Dangoor Hebrew Manuscripts Collection British Library
The British Library leads the way in advancing world’s knowledge. We have recently acquired through donation the religious manuscripts of Hakham Ezra Reuven Dangoor, who was the Chief Rabbi of Baghdad 1923-1926. Our principal objective is to catalogue these important manuscripts and make them freely available to learners, scholars and researchers.
We are looking to recruit a skilled Cataloguer whose key areas of responsibility will be: a) Create detailed and structured digital records for the entire Dangoor collection of Hebrew manuscripts; b) Sort out the material, paying special attention to loose pages of unbound manuscripts, and properly foliate each individual item; c) Prior to cataloguing the collection, liaise with the project- designated Conservator regarding the repair, conservation and preservation of the manuscripts; d) Define the metadata standards for the digital records & monitor the ingest of metadata into the British Library systems; e) Undertake QA activities at the ingest stage and ensure the created metadata is compliant with standards and expectations.
You will have excellent knowledge of Hebrew, a degree in classical Hebrew or relevant subject, and experience of cataloguing Hebrew manuscripts. You will have palaeographical and codicological skills, information technology skills and the ability to understand and apply complex standards to create digital manuscript records. You will have the ability to transliterate Hebrew accurately following established international standards. Good oral and written communication skills in English will be essential. With the ability to work independently and in a team, and a track record of working to strict deadlines, you will be crucial to the success of the project.